The chore of trimming nails can be greatly eased by the use of devices having motor driven reciprocating and rotating abrasive members. Unlike hand operated filing devices, which must be simultaneously reciprocated against and maneuvered around a nail, the powered devices require only that the user maneuver the abrasive surface around the nail while the abrasive action is supplied by the rotating or reciprocating abrasive member. The powered devices consequently allow a person to more easily and quickly trim his or her nails than the hand operated filing devices. Additionally, the power devices allow persons with limited movement to trim their nails without the difficult or often impossible burden of reciprocating the abrasive member to abrade the nail.
A number of the powered filing devices have been patented. For example, the patent to Jeannotte (U.S. Pat. No. 2,258,012) discloses an apparatus having a rotating filing member adapted to file a nail inserted through a limited opening. The patent to Rosenbloom (U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,854) discloses a powered nail fliling apparatus having a slot-like opening adjacent a spring biased touch plate. The tip of the finger is pressed against the touch plate to bring the nail into contact with the filing member. The patent to Hundt (U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,303) discloses a powered nail filing device with a guide member comprising a concave edge for receiving the end of the finger. The guide member is spring biased to urge the tip of the finger away from the abrasive wheel.
These patents show the use of a limited opening or slot to insure that only the nail contacts the filing member and the use of a resilient member pressing against the top of the finger to prevent contact of the flesh with the filing member. However, the inclusion of the safety features in the filing devices disclosed in these patents diminishes their effectiveness in accurately and thoroughly trimming a nail. For example, the slots in these devices are generally positioned in flat or concave surfaces which limit the user's control in guiding the device along the periphery of the nail. Consequently, a user must carefully control the movement of these patented filing devices in order to traverse the entire periphery of the nail. Also, the flat or concave surfaces surrounding the slot oftentimes prevents the user from visually determining the extent to which the nail has been filed by the rotating filing member. The user must therefore frequently interrupt the filing operation by withdrawing the nail to determine the extent of the trimming. An additional drawback of these devices is that a person having limited control of his hands and fingers has difficulty in summoning the requisite control and sensitivity needed to properly trim his nails with these filing devices. Accordingly, there exists a need for a powered filing device which allows the user to readily traverse the periphery of the nail in a convenient and rapid manner while also allowing the user to visually determine that the nail is being trimmed to the proper extent. Also, the need exists for a device which minimizes undesired contact between the flesh adjacent the nail and the rotating filing member, without sacrificing the control needed for accurate nail trimming.